Positive Association between Indoor Gaseous Air Pollution and Obesity: An Observational Study in 60 Households

This study aims to analyze whether exposure to indoor air pollution affects obesity. In our research, we recruited 127 participants, with an average age of 43.30 ± 15.38 years old, residing in 60 households. We monitored indoor air quality for 24 h, and conducted both questionnaire surveys and collected serum samples for analysis, to assess the relationship between indoor air pollutant exposure and obesity. After adjusting for demographic characteristics, the results showed that CO₂ exposure is positively associated with being overweight and with a higher risk of being abdominally obese. Exposures to CO and formaldehyde were also positively associated with being overweight. IQR increase in TVOC was positively associated with increases in the risk of a high BMI, being abdominally obese and having a high body fat percentage. Two-pollutant models demonstrate that TVOCs presented the strongest risks associated with overweightness. We concluded that persistent exposure to indoor gaseous pollutants increases the risk of overweightness and obesity, as indicated by the positive association with BMI, abdominal obesity, and percentage body fat. TVOCs display the strongest contribution to obesity.